Reinforced brake-beam.



J. S. SHEAFE.

REINFORCED BRAKE BEAM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.19, 1912.

1 ,060, 1 40, Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

JAMES S. SHEAFE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO GENERAL APPLIANCE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

REINFORCED BRAKE-BEAM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES S. SHEAFE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reinforced Brake-Beams, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in brake-beams, and has for its object to provide an improved brakebeam in which parts of minimum size are utilized and united to produce a structure of maximum strength and efficiency.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts whereever they occur, Figure 1 is a top' plan view of an improved brake-beam embodying the present invention; and, Fig. 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, on the line 22, Fig. 1.

The brake-beam of the present invention consists of an I-beam 1, to the ends of which are riveted, bolted, or otherwise secured the brake-heads 2 which support the brakeshoes (not shown in the drawings) in the usual manner. The brake-beam is suspended in the usual manner from the framework l of a car or other conveyance (not shown) so that the web of the I-beam is substantially horizontal, and has a pair of plates 3 secured thereto by means of the rivet 4 or the like, which passes through openings in each plate 3 adjacent to an end thereof and, also, through an opening in the web of the I-beam 1 at a point in the middle of said I-beam and near the flanges 5 borne by the particular side of said I-beam on which the brake-heads are located. The end portion of one of the plates 3 that is secured to the web of the I-beam 1 by the rivets 4 is bent so as to fit snugly against the upper flange 5 and the upper surface of the web of the I-beam 1, and the same end portion of the other plate 3 is similarly bent so as to fit snugly against the lower flange 5 and the lower surface of the web of said I-beam as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. The plates 3 extend outwardly from the flanges 5 and are twisted in the usual manner in order to grip said flanges tightly, the free ends of said plates being spaced apart so as to receive the brake-rod (not shown) 'therebetween and having register- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 19, 1912.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

Serial No. 715,710.

ing openings 6 to receive a bolt or rivet (not shown) or a plurality of bolts or rivets by means of which the brake-rod is secured to said plates in the usual manner. The other side of the I-beam 1 that bears the flanges 7 is subjected to strains of compression by the pull of the brake-rod upon the plates 3, and in order to strengthen the I-beam, so as to prevent the pull upon saidplates from causing the I-beam 1 to bend between the brake-heads 2, an angle-iron 8 is provided and is secured to the web of said I-beam by means of rivets 9 or the like. The angle-iron 8 is preferably arranged to extend substantially parallel to the flanges 7 borne by the I-beam 1 and, also, so that the leg of same that projects outwardly from the web of said I-beam is near one of the flanges 7 while the other leg of said angle-iron that is riveted to the web of the Lbeam 1 extends toward the end of the particular plate 3 on the same side of the web with said angle-iron, the end of said plate 3 being beveled at 10, so as to overlap the edge of the riveted leg of the angle-iron 8, which edge of said angle-iron is, also, beveled at the point where the beveled end of said plate 3 overlaps same, as depicted in Fig. 2.

Heretofore, when a brake-beam formed of an I-beam was reinforced by an angleiron, it was necessary to form a cut-away part in the riveted leg of the angle-iron in order to allow the riveted end of one of the brake-rod-connecting plates 3 to fit therein. This was due to the fact that the riveted leg of the angle-iron was wider than absolutely necessary and, also, that an excess of metal was left between the rivet 4; and the end of the plate 3. These features made the cost of manufacturing the brake-beam more than was absolutely necessary, but have been obviated by the present invention so that the cost of manufacturing such brake-beams has been reduced to the mini- 'mum, due -to the fact that the riveted leg of the angle-iron 8 is narrower than ordinarily used, while at the same time is of ordinarily subjected, so that the end of said 0 plate merely touches and slightly overlaps the edge of the riveted leg of theangle-iron 8 as hereinabove described, thereby obviating the necessity of forming a cut-away portion in the riveted leg of said angle-iron.

In actual practice it has been found that after a brake-beam formed of an I-beam Without any reinforcing has become bent from use and then heated and straightened, the strength of the straightened I-beam is stood a test of 16,010 pounds maximum pressure, but after, same was bent and then heated and straightened 1t withstood a test of 13,830 pounds maximum pressure, or approximately eighty-six per cent. of its original strength. After the straightened I- beam was reinforced by a 211 x 2 angle iron 54% long, the reinforced brake-beani withstood a maximum pressure of 20,690 pounds, or in other words the strength of: the reinforced brake-beam was approximately twenty-nine per cent. greater than the original strength of the I-beam. It has also been found in actual practice that a brake-beam formed of an I-beam which has become bent from use can be straightened and reinforced at a relatively smaller cost than the original cost of the I-beam alone.

I claim: 1. A reinforced brake-beam embodying an I- beam having brake-heads secured .to'

the ends thereof, an angle-iron secured to the web of said I-beam and extending longitudinally of same, and a brake-rod-con necting plate located intermediate the brake-heads and secured to the Web of said I-beam so that one end of said plate touches the edge of the leg of said angle-iron that is secured to the web of said I-beam.

2. A reinforced brake-beam embodying an I-beam having brake-heads secured to the ends thereof, an angle-iron secured to the web of said I-beam and extending longitudinally of same, and a pair of brakerodconnecting plates locatedintermediate the brake-heads and secured to the Web of said I-beam so that the end of one of said plates touches the edge of the leg of said angleiron that is secured to the Web of said I- beam.

3. A reinforced brake-beam embodying an I-beam having brake-heads secured to the ends thereof, an angle-iron secured to the web of said I-beam and extending longitudinally of same, and a brake-rod-connecting plate located intermediate the brake-heads and having one end thereof secured to the web of said I-beam, the secured end of said plate being beveled to overlap part of the leg of said angle-iron that is secured to the web of said I-beam.

4. A reinforcd brake-beam embodying an I-beam having brake-heads secured to the end thereof, an angle-iron secured to the Web of said I-beam and extending longitudinally of same, and a brake-rod-connecting plate located intermediate the brake-heads and having one end thereof secured to the Web of said I-beam and beveled to overlap part of the edge of the leg of said angleiron that is secured to the Web of said I- beam, said part of the edge of the secured.

leg of said angle-iron being, also, beveled.

5. A reinforced brake-beam embodying an I-beam having brake-heads secured to the ends thereof, an angle-iron secured to the web of said I-beam and extending longitudinally thereof, and a pair of brake-rodconnecting plates located intermediate the brake-heads and secured to the Web of said I-beam, the end of one of said plates being beveled to overlap a beveled part of the edge of the secured leg of said angle-iron.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in *the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES S. SHEAFE. Witnesses:

SIMON F. Foss,

G. T. RICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner ,9; Patents.

Washington, I). 0. 

